


The One Where Ryder is Missing

by MyGirlThursday



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Blood and Injury, Depression, Drama, Enemies Forced To Work Together, Explicit Language, F/M, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Love Triangles, Minor Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Pregnancy, Relationship Issues, Rescue Missions, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:00:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29369667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyGirlThursday/pseuds/MyGirlThursday
Summary: A couple of years after the Battle for Meridian, Ryder is expecting her first child - and she’s grounded. Bored and alone, she muddles through her days, until one night when mysterious assailants show up on her doorstep. Her current and past flames must team up to secure her safety before it’s too late, as secrets are revealed and unspoken truths are brought to light.
Relationships: Female Ryder | Sara/Reyes Vidal, Liam Kosta/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Another morning in sunny Prodromos. The arid orange landscape greeted Sara Ryder through the bedroom window of her home. She groaned and buried her head under her pillow. Eos was like Arizona. Ryder didn’t get to travel much as a kid, as her parents were always too busy, but one spring break they took a road trip from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, and it was so hot that they couldn’t even get out of the car. She travelled lightyears to end up in another version of that desolate landscape. At least it wasn’t Elaaden, and activating Meridian had led to more plant growth, but she craved greenery and cooler weather, not a formerly irradiated desert. But Liam had been so hyped on the idea of living at the first outpost in Andromeda, and he was buddies with Bradley, and so here they were.

Ryder reluctantly rolled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and leaned forward, combing the mess that was her hair with her fingers. Frizzy roots faded to overprocessed turquoise locks cut in a choppy long bob, the style she’d worn since arriving in Andromeda. She’d given up the bleaching and dying months ago, and she could hardly recognize herself anymore.

At least Ryder had recently stopped throwing up every morning. Her golden brown complexion was no longer as pale as it had been. Her hand moved to her neck, rubbing just below the geometric tattoo she had inked upon graduation from high school in an act of rebellion. Her sore muscles somewhat appeased, she brushed her teeth, grateful to not be overcome by nausea from the minty smell of her toothpaste, and applied her signature lipstick hue. Her original tube was long since gone, but Vetra had managed to procure replacements of a similar formula. Ryder didn’t ask questions. Next up were her eyeliner and mascara, and then she attempted to fix her hair, but settled for pulling an Initiative-branded beanie low over her head.

There was no point in putting on her favorite leather jacket or one of her scarves. The weather on Eos was warm, and Ryder had nowhere to go. Sweatpants and a hoodie sufficed. After getting dressed, she lifted up her sweater’s hem and poked at her stomach. She was over the hump, just starting her second trimester, but her abdomen hadn’t received the message yet. Must’ve been all the meals she hurled.

Ryder was ready for the day. Once upon a time, her schedule had been oppressive. The weight of the galaxy had pressed upon her shoulders. However, on that day’s agenda would be eating cereal, watching some vids that hopefully did not completely bore her, staring at the walls, figuring out something for lunch and dinner, and napping. The former Pathfinder was grounded on leave. Director Tann would not allow any pregnant Initiative leadership on the frontline; new life was valuable and must be protected, and he alleged it would not be a good look. So here Ryder was, cooped up in the house while Liam was out there on adventures with Scott, risking their lives.

Messaging or calling anyone on the _Tempest_ was not a comfort, even though Lexi encouraged it. Her crew was out there, doing something, experiencing new things without her, and it stung when they recounted to her what they had been up to. They would ask about her, and she would struggle to come up with anything to say. Her constant companion, SAM, would have kept her company, but she had been divested of her direct connection to him. SAM was with Scott; Tann saw no reason why she should have access to him while inactive on maternity leave, but removing SAM completely could have killed her. So instead, SAM was in passive mode, monitoring her vitals and ensuring she didn’t crash, but that was it. No communication. Her mind was empty, and her friends were busy without her. And that’s how Ryder got into the very bad habit of messaging Reyes Vidal, which she didn’t tell anyone about because they would be absolutely furious.

Reyes was the Charlatan, head of the Collective on Kadara, as her crew knew. After she had let his sniper murder Sloane, Ryder had distanced herself from him. The deception hurt, but what grated on her was his smirk as he mimicked a gun and said “bang!” as Sloane slowly bled out on the cave floor. It was hard to forget that cavalier attitude, and yet when there were no better options she could find, she reached out to Reyes to chat about something other than business for the first time in two years.

Liam might especially be angry if he found out because he was the only outside party aware of the connection she had with Reyes, as she had confessed everything in the past. Sure, Reyes and Ryder had flirted in public before the whole shootout, but it could have been chalked up to Reyes’s seductive manner and Ryder’s desire to manage an asset. But there was also the matter of the date to Sloane’s party, and she kissed Reyes as a distraction when a guard might have spotted him stealing whiskey. She had initiated it, and they had gone up to the rooftop to talk. Really talk, not merely throwing back double entendres.

It was after Ryder and Liam had hooked up. After Liam had created an escape route for himself. After he had royally fucked up with Verand. She had felt used and annoyed by the man she considered to be her best friend, and so she had jumped at any opportunity to move past him.

Ryder wasn’t able to. Liam made her giggle and forget about her worries for a minute. The world wasn’t doom and gloom with him, even as her to-do list was always growing. His intentions were pure, if misguided. She felt confident with his support, like her decisions weren’t just best guesses from an inexperienced girl in her early twenties who got her job through nepotism. And so nothing happened with Reyes again, and she told Liam she was serious. After Meridian, Liam had half-assed a proposal, but later he presented a ring he had crafted, and they got engaged for real. Then came the wedding and the house in Prodromos, and next a baby in a baby carriage.

Andromeda had been a whirlwind so far. Ryder was still so young, and she felt useless at the moment. The kett were still out there, and she had no further clues as to who the Benefactor might be and what they wanted. Prodromos local leadership didn’t really need her help. She couldn’t talk about how she felt being grounded with Liam. The times when he was home or when they spoke on vidcom, he brightened up like a little kid whenever her pregnancy was mentioned, and he downplayed any concern of hers. Ryder would plaster a grin on; she didn’t have the heart to burst his bubble.

Ryder ate her cereal and watched another episode of the salarian soap opera that Kallo recommended and insisted wasn’t actually a soap. The credits rolled, and the walls were closing in on Ryder again. She really missed SAM right then. After contemplating turning on Liam’s favorite sitcom from the late 20th century, Ryder decided to be a good wife and rang her husband.

After the fourth ring, Ryder had lost hope and went to hang up, but to her surprise, Liam popped up on the screen.

“Hi, babe!” he answered. “Guess where I am?”

It was light wherever he was, with the sound of waterfalls in the background and foliage around him in the frame. “I think the answer is likely obvious to Ryder,” chimed in Jaal from offscreen.

“What are you doing in Aya?” she replied.

“That’s right, we landed in Aya not too long ago.” Liam spun his ‘tool around to show her the marketplace. “Jaal and I were just going to grab some drinks.”

“What’s Scott up to?”

“He’s finishing up with the Moshae and Evfra. There’s been some discussion about how to best approach the Roekkar splinter cell that has taken root in Kadara,” Jaal answered, butting his head into the frame.

“What? I hadn’t heard about that.” She knew she was frowning, but she couldn’t stop it.

Liam gave her a tight smile. “Just happened, nothing to get worked up about.”

“Nothing to worry my pretty little head about, right?” Ryder sighed.

“While your head is smaller than those of some other species, I don’t- “ Jaal replied before Liam interrupted.

“It’s not like that,” he said.

Ryder wasn’t going to cry. She was just calling her husband, and he was out working with her friends. Nothing to bawl over. And yet her eyes watered anyway. “You guys have fun,” she said, her bottom lip trembling traitorously.

“Sara,” Liam replied sternly, bringing his omni-tool closer to his face for privacy. “Is everything seriously okay?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she murmured. It was true. Nothing major was wrong.

“I’ll give you a call tomorrow, yeah?” His expression softened.

“Alright,” she agreed.

“Miss you.”

“You too. Bye.”

The call ended, and Ryder was left staring at her screen. There was an endless amount of hours until Liam would eventually call back. She groaned. From their home that sat alone on a hill above Prodromos, she could see the outpost sprawled out below. Ryder could go into town and putter around. Instead, she wrote to Reyes.

_Buenos días. ¿O buenas noches?_

_Another beautiful day in paradise. Watched the latest ep of that salarian show. No spoilers, but it was batshit crazy. What are you up to? Watching anything?_

Twenty minutes went by before her ‘tool chimed.

_Buenos días a ti, princesa._

_If you’re bored of Eos, you should try Kadara for a change._

_I’m not going to watch that show, now matter how much you hype it._

_It’s business as usual here. All work and no play._

_You been left all alone again?_

Ryder contemplated not responding, but she gave into temptation. She knew she was playing into Reyes’s hand.

_Yes._

His response was nearly instantaneous.

_If you were mine…_

Ryder shut off her screen. When the flirting started to be a little much, she drew the line and did not reply, and things would be back to normal the next day. She ignored his message, but she couldn’t help blushing.

Night eventually fell, and Ryder was ready for bed. She had managed to make it through the rest of the day somehow, but after dinner, she had no will to do anything else. She did her bedtime routine and watched one more vid before drifting off to sleep.

The sound of her front door opening awoke Ryder sometime later. Her eyes shot open, and her heart raced. She slid her omni-tool under the covers to dim the light and checked her messages. No one had sent anything, and she wasn’t expecting any visitors. More worrisome was that their home security system had been disconnected, so no alarm had been signaled. There was an intruder, or intruders, in her home, and they were sophisticated enough to have hacked into its network.

If SAM had been around, he would have warned her. Liam and Ryder were Initiative celebrities, and yet they only had the standard security system package as all other colonists, though Liam had beefed it up. She had teased him about it, as it had seemed unnecessary at the time. She had SAM, and Liam and Ryder were more than prepared to defend themselves.

Ryder was ready to give the intruder a fight. She could call upon her biotics, but a gun would also come in handy. She pulled her loaded Scorpion pistol out of her nightstand drawer. Her armor was in her closet, and Ryder wasn’t sure if she’d have the chance to retrieve it and put it on before whoever got to her. The thought terrified her, as she would be unprotected, all soft flesh and with nothing to shield her unborn child.

Carefully, Ryder tiptoed to the wall near the bedroom door. She heard muffled voices coming down the hallway. Multiple potential assailants, then. She positioned herself with her gun raised. There was the tell-tale noise of the door button being pressed, and then the doors slid open.

A figure dressed in black held a shotgun out and inched inside. Ryder pulled with her biotics and threw them across the room. Out the window went her plan to limit the baby’s exposure to mass effect fields in utero. The shotgun clattered to the floor, but Ryder couldn’t stay to see if they got back up. A human female stormed in and pointed her weapon at Ryder. “Put down the gun and-“ she yelled.

Ryder shot her in the wrist, and the woman stopped what she was saying.

A bullet ricocheted off the steel wall near Ryder’s chest, and she dove for cover, which was difficult to do. Their bedroom was sparsely decorated, and only their bed was large enough to act as a shield. She slid underneath as smoothly as she could, and targeted the unknown shooter’s feet with a biotic blast, sending them flying backward.

“C’mon out, Ryder. We’re not going to hurt you. Boss’s orders,” taunted a krogan from somewhere.

There were at least four attackers, and she was pinned. Her mind raced as she thought through the variables. She could go out thrashing, uplift the bed with her biotics, throw it at two of them, shoot the others in quick succession. Ultimately, that scenario and the others she came up with did not eliminate the risk of getting herself killed. Ryder did not have the heart to be suicidal right then and there.

Ryder banged her head on the floor and swore under her breath. She was furious that she had been caught. “Fine. I surrender,” Ryder snarled.

“Good idea. Get over here with your hands out in front of you. Toss the gun this way,” the krogan commanded.

Ryder shoved her pistol across the floor and saw the krogan pick it up. She scooted out from under the bed and was grabbed by her shirt and lifted off the floor. “Easy now,” she muttered.

An asari Ryder hadn’t seen before slapped omni-cuffs on her wrists, and she and the krogan took Ryder by the arms and dragged her through her house. Her neat, organized little home that now looked like the setting of a war movie.

Ryder sighed. “Where to next, guys?”

“You’ll see,” the asari taunted merrily.

The figure dressed in black whom Ryder had incapacitated, a human male, had reappeared conscious and aimed to butt her in the back of her skull with his gun. Ryder jerked away in a panic.

“Don’t knock me out,” she pleaded, her smart-ass bravery disappearing in the hopes of preventing anything that could harm Baby Ryder-Kosta. “I promise I’ll cooperate.”

The krogan shrugged. “Bag her,” he told the asari. To Ryder, “Not one wrong move from you.”

One second Ryder was staring at her front door, the next her head was swathed in dark fabric, the weave so tight that light didn’t even shine through. Disoriented, she let her kidnappers lead her out as she shuffled along.

Ryder listened to her captors’ conversations as they walked outside. She learned the krogan’s name was apparently Sartan, and the asari’s was Galora. She didn’t catch the rest. She was eventually thrown in a vehicle, and after a long drive, shoved onto a spacecraft of some kind. Based on what Ryder heard during the journey, these guys were mercs or outlaws, but they were too organized to be a random ragtag crew, and unless something had changed suddenly, they weren’t Collective.

Ryder settled into as comfortable a position as her handcuffs would allow on the floor of whatever ship she was on. She tried to force herself to sleep, knowing she’d need the energy to find a way to escape.

* * *

It was after midnight at Kadara Port. Reyes stumbled into his apartment, tired after a hard day’s work. He set his omni-tool to only alert him in case of an emergency and decided to take a shower.

If Reyes were a true kingpin, his identity out there for all to see, he could have had nice digs with a bathtub with jets and a bounty of hot water to bathe in. Instead, he had a run-of-the-mill studio in the shape of a box with a shower that only ran cold water. Fixing the building’s plumbing just hadn’t been a high priority. Still, he appreciated a cold shower that night.

One, Reyes and several agents had spent the day investigating a hack of the Collective’s servers. Shit was compromised. It didn’t appear to be a sophisticated attack, thankfully, and the most confidential materials were heavily encrypted. But there was no telling where a leak might lead. He had screamed at their cybersecurity team and watched as they flinched at his fury. Reyes was mentally drained but had to stay sharp.

Two, he needed to stop thinking about Ryder. It had been 24 hours or so since he sent the last message to her, and she hadn’t responded, per normal. Ryder only flirted up to a point, which he damn well knew. She was a married woman. A pregnant married woman. The goddamn hero of the galaxy. And he was the Charlatan. Any romance between them had fizzled out years ago, his fault as usual, and Reyes had enjoyed his fair share of ladies and gentlemen since then. He needed to get a grip and not fucking moon over someone he could never have, and rightfully so.

His ‘tool chimed from where it rested on the bathroom counter. Reyes groaned and turned off the water. He waited to check his messages until after he dried off and got dressed, forcing himself to take a break from work for a minute.

Reyes came back to the bathroom and flipped on his omni-tool, finding the message that the software had marked as urgent. It was from an address he didn’t recognize, and it had been sent to the account he only used for communicating with Ryder.

_Subject: Charlatan_

_Come out, come out wherever you are, Reyes Vidal._

_By now, you’ve probably discovered our little visit on your network. You did good with firewalls, I’ll give you that._

_But why on the Collective’s servers are there so many encrypted messages between you and the Pathfinder? I’m starting to wonder if they’d make for some juicy reading._

_But that’s not what I’m interested in. You see, I’m now pretty sure you’re the Charlatan. You could say I have a bone to pick, and I think Ryder is important to you._

_So here’s what I’ve done. I’ve got Ryder. You come by yourself - alone - and let’s have a chat. Maybe I’ll even keep your secret. Don’t play by my rules, and people will get hurt._

_Details to follow._

“Fuck!” Reyes exclaimed, fingers flying to send out messages to his people near Prodromos. He prayed that word had not spread about his identity, and that the message’s claim about Ryder was an empty boast.

* * *

“Grmpf,” Liam mumbled, annoyed at SAM waking him up during his sleep shift. His head connected with the low ceiling above his bunk. “Shit! This better be good, SAM.”

“There is a video conference call for you in the meeting room,” SAM responded.

“But why me?” Everyone he was close to had his personal contact info and would send a message that way. “Don’t they want to talk to Scott?”

“Mr. Vidal specifically requested you.”

“And why would Reyes of all people want to chat me up?” Liam wondered aloud.

“I can only speculate, Liam. He stressed it was urgent.”

“I’m going, I’m going. Let’s see what’s got the crime lord’s knickers in a knot.” Liam put on his standard Initiative uniform and passed through the empty hallways of the _Tempest_ before accepting Reyes’s call on the vid con system.

A grainy holo image appeared. Reyes was disheveled, and he ran his fingers through wet hair as he stared at the screen. Reyes had always been a cool customer, so to see him frazzled was an unusual sight. It didn’t faze Liam too much, however, because Reyes had likely just been burned, his Collective shady business finally catching up to him.

Reyes asked off the bat, “How long?”

Liam’s face scrunched in confusion. “Huh?”

It seemed Reyes was not in the mood for his usual games. “How long has she been missing?” he spat out. “I’ve got people there planetside, but they’re not watching her 24/7.”

“Who?”

Reyes put his hand on his forehead in blatant frustration. “Ryder.”

Liam’s brain froze. Ryder was at home on Eos. They had spoken yesterday, and everything was fine.

Scott spoke up from behind him. “My sister’s missing?”

Of course, her brother had decided to crash his call. Ryder’s little bro, but he was the boss of the ship and more intimidating than Ryder, more by-the-book and serious. Scott was looking at him for confirmation, and all Liam could do was gulp like a fish. “She was fine last time I spoke with her. I haven’t been alerted of anything. I can ask Bradley to stop by-“

“You need to check any video surveillance from the house-“ Reyes interrupted, but Liam cut him off.

“We don’t even know if she’s missing, and second of all, if she is, why would you know about it first?”

Reyes slipped his mask back on. “I have a lot of contacts. Picked up chatter that Ryder’s been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?” Liam and Scott repeated over each other.

“I want the surveillance video, Kosta, or I can ask some of my guys to get it for me.”

Liam frowned. “Any why would I give that to you? Scott and all of us are going to look into it.”

“No offense, Reyes. Thanks for the tip, but we got this,” Scott added diplomatically.

Reyes was quiet for a moment, and Liam swore if he had Superman’s powers, he would have been able to see literal wheels turning inside Reyes’s head. “Can I convince you that the Collective can handle it?”

“I’m not going to-“ Liam started.

“This is hardly your business,” Scott chipped in.

Reyes’s response was muffled, but Liam could guess he was cursing to himself. “Fine” was the only word Liam could really make out, and then the feed was cut.

The silence was deafening. Without Reyes’s smug mug to be annoyed at, the full weight of the call hit Liam. If what Reyes said was true - he was known to bullshit, but the guy was off tonight - then his wife, the mother-to-be of his child, his life co-captain was kidnapped, and he had no clue if she was alright, who had done it, and why. That bastard had known about it before him. Liam was dozing away peacefully, without a clue that any serious shit had gone down hours and hours ago.

Liam must have begun hyperventilating because Scott proceeded to clap a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Breathe in, breathe out. We’re going to find out where she is. SAM, wake the rest of the crew.”

Liam nodded at Scott, and he reached deep inside himself to pull through his typical optimism, but he came up empty.


	2. Chapter 2

The _Tempest_ was Scott’s ship. Liam had no business ordering people around, plus he did not know where to start. Alarm bells were going off in his head, even as a part of him was telling himself everything was fine, nothing was wrong, there must be some sort of explanation for why his wife might have possibly disappeared into thin air. So Scott mercifully took charge.

“Liam, you should look into your home’s surveillance system. See what you can find,” Scott told him.

Liam nodded eagerly, glad to have a clear objective where he could be productive. “Right. What are you going to do?”

Scott ignored him. “SAM, call Director Tann, please.”

The vid con started ringing.

“What do you want from Tann?” Liam asked. He wouldn’t mind the Initiative bringing in the cavalry, but didn’t think Tann would put in much of an effort. The guy and Ryder had butted heads on more than one occasion, most recently when he had her pulled from duty and suspended her SAM access.

“To bring SAM back to her,” Scott answered dismissively. Of course, if Ryder had SAM fully online again, he could pinpoint where she was and how she was doing. “Go”

Liam wanted to stay there so he could reinforce their request with Director Tann, but he’d most likely wind up yelling at the bloke, so he left. The tech lab was empty, as Jaal had been sleeping in the crew quarters when Liam had left, so Liam took refuge there alone.

He logged into their home’s portal and was disappointed but not surprised to see their security system had been knocked out. Video surveillance from the last week had been cleared out of its records. No alarm had been tripped when the system was disabled. He tinkered around, but he could not recover anything relevant. Liam’s heart dropped. His hope that this was all one big misunderstanding was fading. He was an ex-cop; he knew how these things went. All signs pointed to some scheme from an experienced perp.

Liam slammed his fist onto a metal table, rattling the objects on it. He swore and tested his fingers, the impact having immediately sent a sharp pain jolting through his hand. His mind drifted morbidly to the last conversation he’d had with Ryder. She’d looked downcast. Liam knew she was missing everyone, the _Tempest_ , and being Pathfinder. Nothing he said ever seemed to cheer her up. Liam had told her he’d call her back; he didn’t even take the time out to listen to her, really listen. That couldn’t be the last time they talked. Ryder was going to be fine. They would find her, and he’d try his damnedest to help fix whatever was going on with them.

“Liam, the Pathfinder has requested your presence on the bridge,” SAM disrupted Liam’s train of thought. Liam still wasn’t used to hearing Scott referred to as Pathfinder. His brain always conjured an image of Ryder.

The bridge was packed. Everyone had gotten the memo about Ryder, apparently. Scott, his face neutral, waved him over. “Any luck?” Scott asked.

Liam shook his head.

“We’re heading to Elaaden. Got SAM back online. We’ve got coordinates. Vitals are normal, and Sara’s doing alright, considering.”

Liam’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t expected Tann to put up a fight once informed about Ryder, but he was surprised by how quickly SAM was fully reactivated and able to advise as to Ryder’s whereabouts. Maybe this nightmare would be over fast.

“Pathfinder, Mr. Vidal is calling again,” SAM informed Scott. He glanced down at his omni-tool and frowned.

“Kallo, get us over to Elaaden,” Scott commanded before heading out of the room, fingers tapping at his screen.

Liam was curious about what Reyes wanted. If he were Scott, he wouldn’t have picked up the call. Their mission was Ryder. Yes, Reyes might care about Ryder despite all the stuff he’d pulled in the past that would say otherwise, but he could wait.

“I’m sure she’s alright,” Peebee reassured Liam, clapping him on the back. “Ryder’s a fucking badass.”

Jaal approached, also offering him a hand on his shoulder. “We will get back your _taoshay_.”

Liam should have thanked him, and he tried to smile, but it might have come across more as a wince. Scott returned, doors sliding open as he stormed in, his eyes troubled. “Slight detour to Kadara before Elaaden,” Scott told Kallo.

“Hold up, why are we going to Kadara?” Liam questioned. They couldn’t afford any delay in getting to Ryder. More time she was captive was more time where things could go wrong.

“We’re going to pick up Reyes.”

“And why are we doing that?” Peebee piped up. Liam was glad she said it so he didn’t have to. Peebee got a kick out of being the bee in Scott’s bonnet.

Scott scratched his head. Ordinarily, the new temporary Pathfinder was as cold as ice, all military precision and stern voice. Stiffer than Cora. Now he seemed to be unravelling a bit, too. “Sara’s being held ransom. Someone wants something from Reyes. They’re expecting him. We’re going to go to Elaaden, he’s going to walk in there, and we’re going to provide backup.”

Liam threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “Can’t we just go bust in there without him? Why do we need to play by their rules?”

The crew mumbled, some agreeing, some disagreeing. “Do you want to take chances?” Scott asked sharply.

“And why would anyone be ransoming Sara to get to Reyes in the first place? The guy’s well-hidden, yeah, but why Sara? Not many know about what happened with Sloane. Sara and him just deal with Ditaeon. I don’t get it.”

“Maybe that’s the best those thugs could come up with. I don’t like working with Reyes any more than you do, but I believe him in this case. Now that he’s decided to tell the full truth, or at least more of it,” Scott sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you. Someone’s abducted my sister, that much is clear. I’d like to think Reyes isn’t manipulating the situation or endangering her. I have to look at the big picture.”

“Like Reyes has never lied before,” Liam scoffed.

“I know Sara is your-“ Scott stopped and appeared to collect himself, tucking his emotions behind a shiny veneer. “But this is my ship.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Liam replied sarcastically.

“Come, let us prepare the weapons,” Jaal offered, taking Liam by the arm. Liam let himself be dragged out the door. His bud was trying to defuse the situation, and Liam was aware he couldn’t change Scott’s mind now.

* * *

Ryder wasn’t certain how much time had passed since she’d been taken from home. After a long journey on a ship, there was another ride on a land vehicle. The air was hot and dry, and Ryder guessed they were on Elaaden. Eventually, they came to their stop, and she was deposited inside a building. The bag was ripped off of her head, and her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. Ryder gasped in fresh air and then took in her surroundings. The small room was windowless with one entry. Nondescript metal floors and walls, with no furniture to speak of. Likely the storage space of some raiders’ base.

The krogan and asari who had grabbed her, Sartan and Galora, stood by. A protein bar and a steel water bottle were tossed her way.

“Thanks,” Ryder said, awkwardly unscrewing the bottle with her wrists still handcuffed. “Mind taking these off?”

Sartan chuckled, and Galora sneered. No reply.

“Never hurts to ask,” she muttered. “I’m assuming I’m going to learn more about why you broke into my house and hauled me out here?”

“All in due time, Ryder,” Galora replied.

A blinding headache suddenly struck Ryder, washing out anything her captors might have said. She fought to keep her face expressionless as she felt like a knife had been lodged into her skull. As quick as it had hit her, it was gone.

“You alright?” Sartan asked, nudging her leg with his boot. Likely didn’t want his boss’s prize to bite it before he could claim his reward.

“Just peachy,” Ryder replied with a plastered-on smile.

_Ryder, our full connection has now been restored, per Scott’s request and Director Tann’s approval. I am with you now. I have sent geoposition data to the Tempest. I would suggest you do not reveal my presence to your abductors._

Ryder could have cried in relief at the sound of SAM’s voice in her head. It hadn’t felt right without him the last few months. Now he could help her get out of her predicament. She wasn’t alone anymore.

Fortunately, the krogan and asari left her there, and the door slammed shut. A red ring of light illuminated around the lock. Ryder’s tech skills were severely lacking, and hacking that door was going to be a bitch. But at least she had some privacy.

“SAM?” Ryder whispered.

_Ryder, there is likely surveillance of this room. You should minimize communication to avoid alerting them._

SAM was right, of course, but she needed to hear him again.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

_Likewise._

When no one came to check on her or fetch her immediately, SAM filled the deafening silence, telling her how everyone on the _Tempest_ was doing. Scott was going into hero mode, continuing to command her ship like he’d been doing it for years. She was proud of him and her entire crew. Tears welled in her eyes when SAM mentioned Liam. The dork was probably freaking out. She fidgeted with her fingers, looking at her wedding ring. Ryder should have been honest with him about everything. She hoped she and the baby would make it out unscathed, more for his sake than her own.

And then SAM had said that Reyes was boarding the _Tempest_. Ryder nearly yelped out loud, but she caught herself in time. How was he involved?

The door to her cell opened suddenly. Galora had returned. “Up,” she demanded.

Ryder struggled to her feet. “Where are we going?”

“Time to see the bosses.”

Ryder trailed Galora through a corridor with sealed rooms with unmarked doors. She stopped at one and spoke through a panel, and the door unlocked.

“After you,” the asari said with a smirk.

The room, much larger than Ryder’s, was dimly lit around the corners with glowing blue track lighting. A simple metal chair and desk sat under a single hanging light bulb that shone down like a spotlight. Ryder approached the chair and sat down, assuming this was the start of an interrogation. She blinked from the bright overhead lighting.Too late she realized there were others leaning against the wall inside. Ryder squinted to try and recognize the two shadowy outlines.

A human woman Ryder could not recall ever seeing before stepped up to the table. She appeared young but weathered. Scars lined her face and the exposed skin on her body. Her hair, cut low to the scalp, was dyed a fluorescent pink. Despite the vibrant hairstyle, the woman’s expression indicated she was not someone who played around.

“Welcome,” the woman greeted Ryder with a smirk. Her voice was indistinct to Ryder, not helping her attempts to I.D. the woman. SAM, however, pitched in.

She was present at Sloane Kelly’s party. Her first name is Kira. She was a low-level Outcasts member, one of several on Sloane’s personal security team.

Her captors were likely all remnants of the Outcasts. Ryder had heard that the Collective had attempted to track them all down, but capturing them all would have been a near impossible task. Why these survivors had targeted Ryder, however, was a mystery to her. Shouldn’t they be going after the Collective? As far as anyone knew, the Collective had murdered Sloane Kelly and stole Kadara Port; the Initiative had gotten an outpost and support from the Collective after, but that was just business.

The woman named Kira reached into her pants’ pocket and retrieved a switchblade. Its blade glinted in the harsh light as the woman seemingly contemplated whether to use the knife. “I would love to talk to you. I bet I could get you to do whatever I wanted,” she said with a sadistic tilt.

Ryder centered herself, swallowing down any fear. “Is that so?”

Kira closed the knife. “Lucky for you, he’s got dibs.”

Kira’s form sunk into the dark and out came the other person. Ryder easily recognized him.

“Kaetus!” Ryder smiled dumbly despite the situation. He was a friendly face. Ryder had gotten along well with Kaetus before Sloane’s demise. He had been reasonable and cared to some degree about the people of Kadara; it had made Ryder wonder what he saw in Sloane, as he was clearly awestruck by the ruthless, narcissistic woman.

Ryder could have sworn Kateus grimaced at the warm reception. “Ryder. Sorry it’s come to this. But this is all for Sloane.”

She frowned and tried to stand up from her chair, but the Galora emerged from the shadows and shoved her back down into her seat. “What is this about?” Ryder demanded.

“The Collective took over Kadara after Sloane disappeared. We all know the Charlatan had her killed. She might not have been much to you, but she meant everything to me. To people like Kira, too.

“The identity of the Charlatan has been a huge secret for years, but you got sloppy. The Pathfinder has always been protected by the Collective, and the Collective supports Ditaeton. Makes sense. Then we hack into Ditaeton’s servers, and we unencrypted a good number of communications between the Initiative's golden girl and a low-level smuggler. Very interesting. The same guy who was seen with you on many occasions back in the day. I even heard there might have been something going on between you.

“So I think you’re special to Reyes Vidal. And I think he’d be upset if anything were to happen to you. Like I felt when Sloane vanished.”

Ryder interrupted, “You’ve got it all wrong-“

“Do I? I sent a message to him, and I hear the entire Collective is already scrambling. Seems like a pretty powerful guy. Would likely have to be to attract the Pathfinder. Someone like the Charlatan.”

“A lot of speculation there,” she growled, but a pit started to grow in her stomach as Kaetus’s tone became colder.

“You know what I think? This image you have, savior of Andromeda, the hero of the Nexus, the little home on Eos with the Initiative spouse: all a ruse. You’re fucking the Charlatan. The whore of a crime lord.”

Ryder laughed until she felt wetness at the edges of her eyes, and Kira stepped up to slap her across the cheek. “You’re full of shit,” Ryder sputtered.

Kaetus leaned forward to get in Ryder’s face. “This is how it’s going to go. I’m going to have Vidal watch as you die, and then maybe we’ll be close to even.”

“The Collective and Initiative will certainly stand back and let you get away with that,” she retorted, rolling her eyes. Ryder earned another smack that rattled her teeth.

“We have a plan, and we won’t let them get close. Even if it all went to hell, it’d be worth it to show those guys a lesson.”

“Two years later, and you haven’t moved on. This is suicidal. We used to be friends.”

“For all I know, you may have killed Sloane yourself.”

Ryder glanced down. “I didn’t.”

“But you were involved somehow. Your face says it all.”

She didn’t have it in her to lie and cover up her mistake. Kaetus stood up and started to leave the room, Kira trailing behind him.

“Kaetus,” Ryder called out. “You know I’m pregnant?”

Kaetus froze and turned to her. His mandibles twitched. “With Vidal’s offspring?”

Was it better to lie, or would it be worse? She settled on the truth. “No. Like I’ve been saying, Reyes and are business acquaintances only. He’s just a smuggler who used to help me out, and we talk sometimes. He’s likely not going to be that upset if you kill me.”

Kaetus stared at her, but Kira pulled on his arm, and the two disappeared through the door. Galora lifted Ryder up and led her back to her cell without a word.

Ryder slumped against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. She had naively wished this would be some sort of random situation where the Initiative could buy off her abductors with credits, and she’d track them down later to seek revenge. Instead, Ryder was in serious trouble. She thought she might be able to convince Kaetus to leave her unharmed, but the others, including that woman Kira, seemed like bad news. They wanted blood.

Reyes was in hot water too, that was for sure. If the Outcasts had been able to retrieve that info and put together this plot, he had a blind spot. The Collective could unravel, and if Reyes showed his face around these parts, he’d be a dead man walking.

But if anyone could save the day, it’d be her crew.

_I have transmitted relevant information regarding your conversation to the Pathfinder._

“All of it?” Ryder grumbled under her breath.

_What I found relevant, Sara._

Scott was going to have a field day with this. He did not approve of anything having to do with Kadara, especially Reyes. Scott was white-and-blue Initiative through and through. And Liam? Ryder couldn’t decide if he was going to go ballistic or be confused.

Ryder groaned. She could hardly wait until the cavalry arrived, regardless of any fallout. What she did not want was Reyes showing up and getting caught in this trap. There was already enough blood on her hands.

* * *

Reyes stood in what must be the meeting room of the Pathfinder’s ship. He had never been aboard before, and he admired all of the details as he was escorted in. You could take the flyboy out of a ship, but you couldn’t take the flyboy out of him. Reyes would kill for something like the _Tempest_ , but it wasn’t the most subtle setup and would not fit his current occupation.

“We have to take the Nomad,” Ryder’s brother was reiterating.

The husband wanted the _Tempest_ to drop right down on top of the Outcasts’ headquarters, as if that wouldn’t immediately spur them to put a bullet in Ryder’s brain. Reyes was going to stay out of it, though. His presence was clearly already a source of tension.

“Reyes is going to go separately to the location, ahead of us. Then it’ll be me and two others in the Nomad. We’ll sneak up from the perimeter and storm them once Reyes is in,” Scott continued.

“If I may interject, gentleman,” Reyes interrupted. “I would hate to do anything that would compromise Sara’s safety. Maybe I should just go in there solo, and if you let me deploy my operatives-”

“Umm, no,” Liam snapped. “We’re her family. Her crew. This is our mission. I still don’t even understand why you’re here.”

Scott slammed his hands on the table. “Enough. SAM says the Outcasts have her. Obviously, they have something against Reyes and Sara because as soon as Sloane Kelly disappeared, the Collective and the Initiative were working together. They must be aware you’re the Charlatan.”

Reyes hung his head. “It might be the case. So I’d like to wrap this up as cleanly and quietly as possible.”

“We’re in agreement on that. Vetra and Cora, suit up.”

“I’m going,” Liam stated defiantly, his arms folded across his chest and lips pulled in a fine line.

“No, you’re to stay on the ship,” Scott ordered, in full commander mode. More gently, “I want a team that accelerates in stealth on the ground. I know you want to be there for obvious reasons, but you’re also too close.”

“And you’re not?” Liam sputtered.

“I can’t be,” Scott said softly. “Have to have a clear head. This is like any other mission.”

Liam stormed out, fury written across his face. Reyes had sympathy for his situation. He was powerless, unable to do anything to save what was most important to him in Andromeda.

Now Reyes needed a clear head, too. He liked calling the shots, but here Scott ran the show. Reyes did not like the plan, but he was going to have to go along with it.

That’s how he ended up on his knees in the sand, his hands empty and raised above him, the piercing sun of Elaaden glaring on his face. Guns were pointed at him from the ramp that led up to a building entrance, located at the coordinates SAM provided and confirmed by the abductors’ last message. Reyes could only see shadows as some people roughly grabbed him under the arms, dragging him up and cuffing him. “I’m not usually into this on the first date,” he taunted.

Whoever they were, they didn’t want to play ball with him. They were silent until they arrived at the top of the ramp, where a krogan glared down at him. “Got a lift from the Pathfinder? Heard the _Tempest_ was seen in town.”

Of course they had seen it. Scott’s plan was a clunker that hopefully wouldn’t get them all killed. Reyes shrugged as much as he was able to with his wrists confined. “Why not travel in style?”

“So you’re in league with the Pathfinder then? Are you breaking our rules?”

“No, sir,” Reyes replied smoothly. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Just got a ride.”

A man came running up the ramp and whispered close to the krogan. Reyes could’ve sworn the krogan frowned. He shoved the man away after he was done speaking and growled at Reyes, “Once a liar, always a liar, Charlatan.”

Those dumbfucks must’ve been spotted. Reyes fought to keep his expression blank. “And what might I be lying about?”

The krogan didn’t respond. He grabbed the shotgun off of his back and stalked down the ramp, taking a defensive position behind an overturned barrel in the sand. The doors to the building slid open, and out pooled several well-armed cohorts who all joined the krogan in anticipation of battle. The handlers behind Reyes aimed to shove him inside the building, but the jarring sound of the first shots fired loosened their grip, and Reyes threw himself up and over the railing, landing hard on the ground. Fearing someone would be coming quickly to retrieve him, but still cuffed and with every bone throbbing from the impact, Reyes writhed across the sand like an Architect. He slithered under a two-foot-high gap under the building, choosing to shelter in a shadowed space between two large pipes.

Reyes’s captors would be able to find him there. There wasn’t an escape. However, they were currently occupied with a firefight. Reyes fought to gather his breath and tried to get a glimpse of what was going on out there, but he had very limited visibility. Instead, he listened to the noise surrounding him: shouts and commands, cursing, deafening gunfire, and the cacophony of blades and armored fists against plate.

The krogan was swearing loudly. That was good. It was growing quieter as bodies presumably fell.

A distressed voice - Scott’s. “Where’s Vidal? Where are you taking my sister?”

Raspy, gurgling breathing, like when blood starts to fill the throat and leak from the mouth. Reyes had seen it before and recognized the tune of that death knell. There would be no answer from the interrogatee.

Hopefully, the Initiative folks had emerged victorious. Reyes hedged his bets and emerged from his hiding spot, covered in earth and stumbling in the sunlight.

“Reyes!” There was Scott again. Cora was at his side, a hand on his arm. The krogan was at Scott’s feet. He was still. Vetra was in the distance, examining the carnage. Probably looking for any clues.

“Where’s Sara?” Reyes asked, holding his hands out for help getting the cuffs off. Cora gripped his wrists and wouldn’t let go or assist.

“She’s gone. Where are they taking her?”

“And how the fuck should I know? I surrendered, then all hell broke out. What do you mean?”

Scott turned away, his shoulders tense. “They started moving her before you even arrived. She’s in transit off-world. SAM is feeding us coordinates, but we don’t know where they’re headed.”

Reyes’s heart dropped. They hadn’t had a chance of saving Sara, and now the Outcasts would be pissed that he rode up with the Initiative and killed a bunch of their members. Cora helped take his cuffs off, and he twisted and rubbed at his wrists. “They’re not going to take this lightly,” Reyes replied, trying to keep his voice calm and failing, his ire flashing between his words.

Scott’s shoulders dropped. “We’ll find her, and we’ll get her back.”

Reyes glared daggers at the man’s back. He should have just gone with his gut and worked with his own agents, and forgot Ryder’s family, even if he didn’t have SAM’s intel. This all was on him.


	3. Chapter 3

Scott didn’t radio from the ground. The crew waited anxiously on the bridge, all huddled around the comm system. Liam’s concern grew as he wondered why the team hadn’t checked in. His mind went to every worst-case scenario. Scott, Vetra, and Cora lifeless and collapsed, the Outcasts able to do what they kett had not. Scott standing over an unmoving Ryder, having failed to revive her. Liam had witnessed something similar himself, easily picturing the events on the Archon’s ship, and the fact that she had recovered and been physically unscathed did not qualm his fears now.

Kallo spoke up, “The Nomad’s returning.”

They all headed to the bay as quickly as possible. The Nomad drove up the ramp and pulled into its spot. Out of its cramped quarters emerged Scott and his ground team, as well as Reyes. They were sweaty, covered in sandy grime and blood, but no one looked severely injured. Liam rushed forward to peek inside the vehicle, hoping for a glimpse of Ryder, improbably crammed in a corner or something. She wasn’t in there. “What happened?” Liam questioned Scott.

The man was as downtrodden as he’d ever seen him. “They moved her before we even got there.”

Liam should’ve pushed Scott about for leaving him on the ship and for fucking up when he wouldn’t even let Liam have a chance. Instead, all he wanted to do was lash out at Reyes Vidal.

“This is all your fault.” Liam jabbed a finger at Reyes’s chest. “I know it. I don’t know what you’ve been up to, but whatever happened to Ryder, it’s clearly on you. So why don’t you tell me all about it?

Reyes chuckled darkly. “When we find her, you can ask her.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Liam growled at his smarmy answer.

Reyes looked up to the ceiling, as if contemplating if he should tell Liam. “Someone hacked into our network, and they’ve taken an interest in my messages with Ryder. And then they kidnapped her.”

“What sort of messages? Whatever it was, it put my wife in danger.” Liam emphasized “my” quite clearly.

“Banter among friends.”

Scott was apparently bored by their interlude. “I think we can move- “

And then Reyes couldn’t help himself. “Maybe you should actually talk to your wife sometimes. Or realize what’s right in front of you.”

“Fuck you, man. Maybe you should consider not slipping into married women’s messages.”

“Oh, she slipped into mine.” Reyes smiled like a cat that caught the canary.

Liam scowled at him. Surely it wasn’t like that, but doubt started to creep in. He spiraled. Ryder wouldn’t lie to him, right? He jumped to conclusions rashly, as he always did. “You've been sleeping with her?”

Reyes rolled his eyes. “Has she been off Eos anytime recently? Because I don’t leave Kadara. Don’t worry, she’s turned down all my advances like the good housewife she is.”

“You bastard!”

“Look, Ryder is a live wire. No wonder she’s been unhappy.”

Liam gripped Reyes by the collar of his armor, ready to wind up and punch that smirk off him. Cora and Vetra separated the two, and Vetra shoved Liam toward the wall. She raised her arms up on each side and cornered him against it. “Cool it, buddy,” she threatened.

“You heard that, right?” he sputtered, outraged. “Get off of me!”

“Look.” Vetra drew a deep breath. “It’s Reyes. This is what he does. Let it go.”

“So you’re cool with him getting Ryder killed?”

Vetra’s mandibles flared like they always did when she was pissed with him, which was all the time. “Reyes is a smuggler. He saw something highly valued that was underappreciated, and he took a shot at acquiring it.” 

Vetra’s words did not calm him down. Reyes was released by Scott, and the bay was starting to empty. Scott didn’t stick around, either. Finally, Vetra released Liam, and he surged forward and got out of there. 

Liam wanted Scott to take him on the next mission and thought he owed him that much. Killing Reyes would not help Liam reach that objective. So he stalked to the crew quarters, where he proceeded to lie motionless for hours in his bunk, ignoring Drack’s offer of food. Sleep evaded him.

At last, SAM called to him, “The Pathfinder has requested your presence in his cabin.”

“In his cabin?”

Great, a dressing down from his brother-in-law for attempting fisticuffs. Liam steeled himself and headed for Scott’s room. It was still weird to him that it was no longer Ryder’s, her tchotchkes gone and stored at home. 

The door slid open and revealed Scott and Reyes, who was nonchalantly leaning against the wall, arms folded and slouched. Liam restrained himself and cast his eyes away from him.

“Sara’s headed to H-047c,” Scott announced, “per SAM’s coordinates.”

“H-047c,” Liam repeated. Fuck, he hated that place. “I’m going this time.”

Scott didn’t reply. Liam waited, but the guy was silent. Upon closer examination, he was a little gray. “I was sent a message from the Outcasts,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.

Reyes pushed off the wall. “What?”

“I’m not sure I should play it for you.”

“Play it,” Liam demanded. He wouldn’t be kept on the sidelines any longer.

Scott lifted up his arm and tapped on the screen of his omni-tool, his mouth drawn tight, like he was being forced into it. He twisted his wrist to show Reyes and Liam a video.

Blackness, then an image appeared. A turian stood in the foreground.

“Pathfinder Scott Ryder,” the turian started. Liam recognized him. It was Kaetus; he had seen him a few times on Kadara. Nice enough, though with a weird infatuation with Sloane. Kaetus was heavily shadowed like some sort of movie villain.

He continued, “I had a deal with Reyes Vidal, and then you showed up. I understand your concern, but you need to play by the rules.”

Kaetus brought a small metal box into the frame and opened it up. “Like I said, let’s not make any silly mistakes again,” he said as he took something out and held it to the camera.

The object came closer into view, and Liam realized it was a human finger. It was gross to see, and then Liam noticed the wedding ring still on the bottom of it, and he wanted to vomit. Even Reyes had the decency to look away, though he must’ve seen his fair share of bloody appendages in his line of work.

“Guess Ryder is going to have to pick out another finger to wear that ring,” Kaetus noted casually, as if he wasn’t holding a severed body part from one of the most revered people in the galaxy. “Send Vidal. Follow the instructions, and hopefully, we can make this easier.”

The video message cut out. Liam shook as if ice water had just been poured down his back. He deflated, all his rage gone and replaced with despair that seeped into his bones. The Pathfinder team had always been able to do anything, no matter how impossible it seemed, and had suffered few casualties, Ryder’s dad withstanding. Liam always kept the faith. Now it seemed like when it came to the most important mission personally to him, they would fail. He had failed. Ryder was hurt, and Liam had let it happen.

“We can’t have a repeat of Elaaden,” Scott said, his voice rough. The message must’ve been hard on him, too.

“I’m going to turn myself over to them. Alone,” Reyes announced, looking somewhere in the distance and not at them. Liam had wanted to murder the man earlier, and he should’ve felt the urge even more after what he just watched. Instead, he was detached.

Liam wished he could go on the ground so he could see Ryder for himself, but he put up no argument when they sent Reyes into the belly of the beast solo. They had to give the Outcasts what they wanted. There was no way out of it this time.

* * *

Reyes has never been to H-047c before. He had heard tales of it and knew all about the illegal mining operations. The planet held no appeal to him. He could see asteroid-ridden space all around, the black abyss going on forever. The pockmarked rock that constituted the surface of the planet caused the Nomad to be thrown off-course, the bumps sending the vehicle astray in the low gravity. Reyes struggled to maintain control of the vehicle as he charged toward the orange bubble that hosted the Outcasts’ base.

Reyes was riding toward his death. The Outcasts were pinned in their location, but soon he would be too. He was aware of what the Outcasts wanted. They already had his identity; he was toast. At the very least, he would try to save Ryder, whom he had gotten into this mess.

Scott had promised he and the crew would come; they would await a signal from SAM and then help with the escape. What was left unsaid is that they would be assisting Ryder with getting out; Reyes likely wouldn’t be making it. Scott had the decency to pretend they’d be rescuing Reyes too, but they all understood the likely outcome. Reyes had set in motion his contingency plans for the Collective. He prepared a message for Keema to be time-released. His affairs were in order as they could be.

Reyes pulled the Nomad into the docking bay for entry into the sealed chamber that hosted the mining outpost-turned-evil headquarters. He had to grin at how the Nomad was spotless, no bumps or dents after his spin in it, his piloting skills paying off on ground. The door opened, and he drove into the pressurized chamber. After a minute, the next set of doors opened to reveal a glowing orange landscape and an industrial building ahead. Members of the Outcasts were all around, guns out. Reyes slowly pulled forward, driving up to the entrance of what must be their base. 

Reyes turned off the engine and took one last second to himself. His chosen career path forewarned a short life expectancy. He honestly expected an assassination out of the blue or going down in a fiery gun battle, a last stand. Instead, Reyes would be surrendering himself. He got too close, or rather, he failed at shedding his humanity.

Reyes’s last moment of peace was interrupted by fists slamming on the hood. He unlocked the door and placed his hands up in the air, indicating he wasn’t brandishing a firearm. There had been no point in bringing one or donning armor. The door clicked open from the outside, and hands reached out and retrieved him from the driver’s seat. “Hello,” Reyes greeted them with a smile. “You wanted to see me?”

The butt of a rifle connected with Reyes’s chin, stopping the jokes he was working on. He moved his jaw around and tasted blood in his mouth. That would bruise. The Outcasts slapped cuffs on him, and he followed them into the building like a good little submissive hostage.

Reyes recalled the names of many of the people around him. He had made it his business to familiarize himself with all of his enemies, and he had presumed these ones to be dead or smart enough to get out of the business. Apparently not, and they had fresh recruits.

Reyes followed them into the entrance and down the stairs, down through a labyrinthine set of staircases that led toward the planet’s center. At last, they came to a series of doors on a landing, and Reyes was dragged into a large room carved from rock. There was an audience full of Outcasts, all eyes drawn on him. He frantically searched for a glimpse of Ryder, but she wasn’t there. Reyes tried not to draw any conclusions from that.

Reyes saw Kaetus on the edge of the circle. He was surprised when he did not step forward; instead it was a woman, one of Sloane’s groupies whom SAM had warned them about. “Welcome, Charlatan,” Kira drawled.

Jeers from the crowd, and they all correctly assumed his identity. The gig was up, and this Kira had somehow become Sloane’s replacement, though Kaetus had been her second-in-command and was really cut up about her death. Kira must’ve been more power-hungry than him.

“Let’s give him a little welcome to his final resting place?” Kira sneered, and Reyes braced for the inevitable, determined to grin and bare it.

What proceeded felt like it was hours, but must have been only minutes. It was open season, and Reyes was hit with a barrage of kicks, punches, and insults that only stopped when Kira stepped in to ensure he wasn’t critically injured. That would put a damper on the fun they surely had planned for later. Reyes’s vision was hampered by a quickly swelling eye, and his lip was busted. Broken ribs were a certainty, and a couple of fingers were bent the wrong way. Reyes panted and withstood the pain.

“That’s enough for now. Hope everyone got a taste of revenge,” Kira announced, showboating like a ringmaster at a circus, before turning to Reyes. “Tomorrow’s your trial, and we need you in one piece, more or less. You see, we do things far and square around here. Enjoy your last night.”

Kaetus looked at Reyes with a snarl as he was dragged out of the chamber. Reyes’s feet were heavy, and he couldn’t avoid stumbling, which conveniently slowed the journey to the next destination. He looked back and saw that Kaetus was following him. The forthcoming torture in store was a mystery, but Reyes was sure they weren’t going to let him off the hook that easy.

A door slid open, and the Outcasts holding him tossed him into a holding cell of some sort. There was a simple bed against one wall, a toilet and sink against another, and sitting on the floor with her head down was Ryder. She glanced up at him, and her mouth gaped. “Reyes?” she whispered.

Reyes was shoved in, and he fell in front of Ryder on his knees.

“Time to say your goodbyes. See you in a few hours,” Kaetus said before the door sealed and locked, leaving Reyes and Ryder alone.

Reyes immediately crawled to her and reached for her face, searching her expression. She seemed surprised at his appearance, but it was fading into something else, like she wasn’t entirely there. “Are you okay?” were his first words, his voice gravelly from unconsciously screaming earlier.

Ryder eyed his messed up face and touched his mouth with her hand. “What about you?”

The feel of her fingers on his lip reminded him of the video message, and he stared down at her left hand in her lap. A bandage was wound across it, with most of it wrapped against where her ring finger was clearly missing. A small part of him had believed maybe the vid had been a ploy, that they wouldn’t dare, but his mind was blank at the sight of it in the flesh. As if sensing his discomfort, Ryder pulled her injured hand to her chest and protectively cradled it away from him. 

“I’m sorry,” Reyes croaked.

Ryder avoided him. “It is what it is.”

It was all on Reyes, but he didn’t have the guts to say it, and she didn’t appear interested in any apologies or pity. His focus drifted lower, to her stomach. Reyes couldn’t see a tell-tale baby bump. Maybe it was too early. “And the…” Reyes trailed off.

Ryder looked back at him and shrugged with a wry smile. “No docs here.”

Babies and pregnant women were not his areas of expertise, so he dropped the subject. “Don’t worry, going to get you out of here if, and it very likely will be, the last thing I do.”

Ryder glared and made a gesture at him to zip it. “We’re leaving together,” she mouthed.

Reyes shook his head. Ryder might be as stubborn as ever, but he was going to give it his all to ensure she had the best chance of getting out of there. Here she was, still dressed in pajama pants and an oversized shirt, undoubtedly one of Kosta’s, pale and forlorn but rearing to go. Ryder was a verifiable firecracker and the best person he had ever met. She should’ve been pissed as hell for getting wrapped up in this, and yet she was concerned about him and wanted to fight to save him too, even with a gruesome injury and some extra baggage. 

Reyes didn’t have a hope of winning the girl. He always knew that, but he really understood at that moment. Maybe in another lifetime, but in this timeline, he had made the choices that led him away from her, to being alone, to dying at a young age. Ryder was light itself, optimism and altruism, and yeah, she was going through some shit, and even if she split from her husband or whatever, she was too good for him. A shining star to guide forth the people of Andromeda was what Ryder was, and Reyes was going to protect her.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Ryder spoke aloud, serious.

Reyes slipped into his alternate persona, hiding from visibility his morose thoughts. “When do I ever?”

Ryder sighed in frustration and crossed her arms. Reyes took the opportunity to rest against the door behind him and get as comfortable as he could considering his aches and bound wrists. He shut his eyelids and felt blood throbbing in all of the places he had been attacked. Suddenly, something collapsed on him. Reyes startled and realized Ryder was hugging him tightly, warm and soft against his chest, while his arms had been knocked to the side. Awkwardly, he attempted to clutch at her, tucking her head in under his chin. Reyes accepted her embrace, letting it fill him with peace.

Ryder pulled away a little bit and looked up at him. He wondered what she saw, if she still thought he was someone. She leaned closer, and before he could even process what was happening, Ryder kissed him with the lightest, most featherweight touch, as if she was afraid of hurting him or afraid of her choice. He froze like a statue, his mind swirling and his body unable to respond. God, how he desired to pick her right up, lay her against the bed, and press himself to her, take the opportunity he had never been given before, feel her mouth against his neck as they joined, a satisfying conclusion to the years of longing and tension.

Ryder had deepened the kiss, her fears seemingly assuaged, and she threaded her fingers through his hair at the back of his skull. Reyes could have let her go on, but there was a wrongness about it all, so he groaned and twisted his head away from her, unable to handle the hurt expression she wore.

* * *

Ryder had kissed Reyes, and like at Sloane’s party way back when, he had returned her kiss and then dropped it as soon as danger passed. He shrunk away from her, eyes guarded. She had expected him to release all of that pent-up energy they had shared over messages because it was now or never, but instead she was left embarrassed and breathing heavily.

“Look-“ Reyes started.

“Just forget it,” Ryder rushed to stop him, ready to move on from her failed come-on. She went to stand up from the floor, but Reyes grabbed her by the leg.

“Sit,” he requested.

Reluctantly, she did as he asked, choosing a spot next to him but leaving a safe distance between them.

“I’m not going to be the asshole that lets you go through with this. This isn’t about me. You’re scared. The stakes are high. The galaxy is depending on you, you’ve got a crew who cares a lot, and a hard-ass straight-edge brother, a kid coming, and a husband who probably has done right by you more than I ever would.”

Reyes’s mouth twisted up at the corners at the last bit, but it must’ve pained him as much as it did her. Tears welled up. “Reyes…”

“Don’t you start,” he threatened, blinking fast and avoiding her.

The idiot was going to sacrifice himself, that much was certain. Reyes could’ve gone through the kiss and more with her, but he had chosen that moment to draw a line in the sand. After the confrontation in the cave so long ago now, Ryder had felt that any trust they shared had been completely eroded, but slowly over time, it had been rebuilt into something stronger. 

“Kosta is so fucking pissed at me, by the way,” Reyes laughed, his vulnerability slipping away again.

Ryder’s heart panged. “Is he?” she asked tentatively, afraid of what she’d hear.

“Blames me for all this. Can’t say I don’t get it. I might’ve pushed his buttons.”

She glared at him.

“I think he has an overactive imagination when it comes to us.”

Ryder exhaled slowly. So Liam was probably hurt and confused, and maybe more than a little angry with her too. “How’s he dealing with it?”

“With me? Guy wanted to punch my lights out. With you? He’s beside himself.”

“Great.” So Liam was upset with her.

“Not like that. When he found out about your finger, it was like a light went out. If you don’t make it back, I don’t know what’s going to happen with him.”

Ryder swallowed thickly, emotion causing a lump to form in her throat. She pictured Liam on the  _ Tempest _ , wondering where she was and how she was doing. She imagined what he was feeling, and she shivered. Ryder did not want to leave him. She wanted to be back on the ship with him, wrapped in his arms, safe and sound.

Ryder absentmindedly went to twist her wedding ring, like she did when she was anxious, but her hand found nothing, and she sobered up. “We should get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”

Reyes scoffed, “That’s it? No grand scheme you’ve been working on that you’re trying to rope me into?”

Ryder was aware that was the opposite of what he wanted. Reyes didn’t want her to complicate matters. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Ryder rose up and helped Reyes stand. She motioned him over to the bed.

“That’s for you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not the one who was beaten to a pulp.”

He wouldn’t budge. The bed was narrow, but she might be able to squeeze in next to him. Ryder sat on the thin mattress and dragged him down next to her. With her back pressed to the wall, she lay down on her side and encouraged Reyes to join her. Thankfully, he was facing away from her. If Reyes had been looking into her eyes, he’d be able to tell she wasn’t resting; her mind was far from it.

_ I can assist with your escape. The Tempest is nearby. The Pathfinder and the others will approach once it is safe to do so. Mr. Vidal appears to be intent on ensuring your well-being. _

SAM was attempting to comfort her. Ryder didn’t respond because she didn’t want to argue with him about it. She knew Reyes was going to martyr himself, Scott and Liam would allow it, and SAM and the others would do anything to bring her back. They were naïve. Kaetus, Kira, and the other Outcasts would not allow her to slip away, not after wounding her and stating their intentions. They wanted blood for Sloane’s death. Revealing the Charlatan and killing him would even the score, but flaying him alive by killing the Pathfinder who betrayed their leader… that’d be sweet revenge. Ryder’s death warrant was signed.

Ryder thought of the life growing within her, and her eyes stung. She had failed as a mother already, but she couldn’t allow herself to wallow. Tomorrow would be her last opportunity, and Ryder would do what she had always done: try to bring everyone home alive, against the odds.


	4. Chapter 4

Seep was elusive despite Reyes’s best efforts. He needed to be sharp for whatever came in the morning, but the more he thought about it, the harder the struggle was. He wasn’t sure if Ryder was asleep either, but she was still, her body pressed to the back of his with her chest rising with breath against him. Reyes tried not to think about those tempting soft curves, and the dire state of affairs helped to put a damper on any salacious thoughts or feelings.

Hours later, a fist pounded on the door before it slid open, revealing a pissed-off-looking asari leading two human guys, all decked out in the Outcasts’ colors. “Rise and shine,” she cackled.

Ryder moved behind him, and with a groan, Reyes sat up as well. 

“We don’t have all day,” the asari sneered, before grabbing Reyes by the wrist and leading him out the door, Ryder and the other two Outcasts hot on their heels. Reyes considered slamming the asari into the rock wall of the hallway with his bodyweight, and then taking down the guys with Ryder, allowing her a window of opportunity to escape. They were only outnumbered by one, and he didn’t know if there would be another opening. 

Reyes yanked his arm back toward himself, dragging the asari closer to him. “What the fuck-”

He secured a hand around her upper arm and launched himself at the wall, with her in between them. Unfortunately, her head did not connect with the rock, as she braced herself at the last second with her free arm. Still, there was a notable impact, and Reyes fought to bring his arm up to her throat, leaning forward to choke her. He ignored the throbbing pain of yesterday’s injuries, aggravated by his suicidal plan.

The sneer had been wiped off the asari’s face, and while Reyes wished he had knocked her unconscious, this would do, or so he thought. Then something hit him in the side of his skull, temporarily blinding him. His grip on the asari loosened, and something connected with his stomach, stealing the air from his lungs. Reyes doubled over on the ground and attempted to catch his breath and clear his mind.

The two men surrounded him, with the asari glaring behind them. They lifted him up to his feet, with one holding each side firmly. Reyes frantically searched for Ryder. There she was, the asari now leading her forward. Ryder wouldn’t meet Reyes’s eyes. He spotted no new injuries. She wasn’t cuffed. She hadn’t attacked.

Reyes spat blood out on the ground before he was jerked forward, resuming the walk down the plank. Ryder had obviously elected to not participate in his plan to save her ass. Fine, he would do it again, though he grit his teeth in frustration at a lost chance. Reyes wondered what was going through her head and hoped that she wasn’t pinning everything on saving him, too.

Reyes recognized the path they were taking, and once again he entered the cavernous room from yesterday. There were even more gang members there than before, as if every Outcast had turned up to see Reyes and Ryder burn at the stake. Reyes’s stomach churned. He prided himself on his ability to think on his feet, but seeing all of the Outcasts armed to the teeth, the air in the room electrically charged with vitriol, any glimmer of hope evaporated. 

Reyes wrenched himself to glance at Ryder, who seemed nonchalant even as the crowd hurled insults at her. Maybe she was resigned.

“On your knees,” the asari commanded, and with a kick for encouragement, Reyes sank to the floor. Ryder fell to the ground across from him and was cuffed now too, with several feet of space separating her from Reyes at the front of the room. Everyone else was lined up toward the back like an audience for some low-rate talk show.

Kira stepped forth as the judge for the proceedings. Kaetus followed, moving to the front wall and leaning against it, observing Reyes and Ryder. “Settle down!” Kira yelled.

The voices quieted enough that Kira didn’t have to scream to be heard. “Today, my fellow Outcasts, I have before you Reyes Vidal and Sara Ryder,” she announced with a smirk. 

Boos rang out, and Reyes rolled his eyes. “Now, now. Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Kira said sarcastically. “We’ve yet to address the charges. Mr. Vidal, we have evidence that you’re the leader of the Collective, a figure known as the Charlatan. Amongst the many crimes too numerous to name, we find you the prime suspect in the disappearance and likely murder of our former leader, Sloane Kelly.”

Sound erupted. Kira hushed them before continuing, “Ms. Ryder. We believe you to be guilty of conspiring with the Collective and likely assisting in the disappearance of Sloane Kelly.” She then rattled on about the hacked messages, how the Collective and Initiative had worked together, and what the Collective had been doing. The Outcasts didn’t have a smoking gun on Sloane; Reyes had chosen his most tight-lipped agents for that day in the cave, and he doubted Ryder or her crew had sold him out. It didn’t matter, however, because the Outcasts correctly assumed he’d had her killed.

Kira turned to face Reyes. “Reyes Vidal, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“Fuck you,” Reyes grunted under his breath.

The asari approached as if she was going to hit him. “Speak up, Charlatan,” Kira demanded.

“Fuck. You,” he enunciated loudly, and the crowd went wild. Kira merely shook her head with a phony sad smile.

“I expected no less from you. Well, on to Ryder then-”

“Ryder had nothing to do with the Collective or Sloane.”

The Outcasts murmured. Kira sighed audibly. “Uh huh, sure.”

“I mean it. I’ve been lying and manipulating that Initiative bitch since the beginning. It’s what I do. Just another pawn in my game,” Reyes boasted. He knew his acting was on point, even as “bitch” still burned on his tongue.

“Is this true, sweetie?” Kira turned to Ryder and grabbed her by the cheek. “The Charlatan fool you like he played everyone else?”

Ryder’s eyes fluttered closed, and she didn’t speak. Kira shoved her face away. 

Kaetus spoke softly from the sidelines, “No. She was a part of this.”

Kira nodded and then unsheathed a knife from her belt. “How do we rule?” she called out.

The Outcasts cheered, offering colorful ways to off him, as expected.

“Okay, I think we got the memo,” Kira said with obvious pleasure. She pointed the blade in Reyes’s direction. “Reyes Vidal, you have been sentenced to death.”

* * *

Ryder watched as Reyes thrashed, throwing curses with rapid fire at Kira, at Kaetus, at all of the Outcasts. Whether it was a tactic or desperation, she wasn’t sure, but she knew he was mad at her lack of participation in his harebrained schemes to save her like she was a damsel in distress. The odds were not in their favor, but Ryder did have a trick up her sleeve.

_ I have reported to the Pathfinder that the overwhelming majority of personnel appear to be away from their stations and attending Mr. Vidal’s public execution. The crew is descending upon the planet’s surface and will be able to arrive momentarily. Please hold on, Sara. _

“And now for Ms. Ryder,” Kira addressed the Outcasts. “Do we find her guilty?”

Everyone screamed their assent.

“Her sentence?”

At this, the crowd became a sea of arguing voices. Bloodthirsty as they were, it was more than a mere rumor that Ryder was pregnant. Murdering her was beyond some of their appetites for revenge. And still some shouted for her and “the Charlatan's bastard” to die anyway.

Kira grinned. “Death it is.”

Whispers flooded the chamber, but Kira obviously chose to ignore them. Reyes had begun pleading, but Ryder couldn’t focus on his words, she only saw his lips moving and hands posed as if in prayer. She contemplated whether she had ever witnessed something so raw from him before, but then again, impending death would bring that out of someone.

_ Sara, your brother and the others will be here soon. I can boost certain stats if needed should a confrontation be required to secure a delay. _

“Shut it, Vidal, or I’m going to have to tape your mouth closed, and that’s not as much fun,” Ryder heard as her attention returned to Kira. “First up is the Initiative princess.”

Kira played with the knife in her grip. “You may be guilty, and I don’t like you very much, but out of respect for some of what you’ve done, I’m going to do this in a rather humane way.”

Someone complained in the crowd about being too merciful, but some were still voicing their dissent with killing the former Pathfinder. The discussion grew louder, and Kira became red in frustration. A fistfight broke out, and the guards watching Reyes and Ryder had to leave them to help break it up. Kaetus moved from his position, whispering in Kira’s ear. She frowned at whatever he said, but she seemed to agree with him.

“Everyone, go back to your positions. Glad you could join us for today’s monumental occasion, but leadership will take it from here,” she announced.

Grumbles, but the room began to empty as Outcasts filed out, leaving a handful of guards, including Galora, Kira, and Kaetus. Fewer people made for better odds, and the commotion had been an effective time killer, but now it had been resolved: a closed doors execution, as to not offend the sensibilities of their more softhearted members or draw the ire of their ruthless supporters.

“A moment of quiet. You’re welcome, you two,” Kira addressed Reyes and Ryder before giving her knife to Kaetus. “All yours.”

Kaetus stared down at the blade in his hands as Kira watched carefully over his shoulder, likely eager to be in his shoes. Ryder was surprised Kira was going to let Kaetus do the honors, since she was clearly the boss and chomping at the bit to render justice, or at least let some blood.

Ryder spoke for the first time since they had been led away from her cell. “Kaetus, look. If you kill me, the Initiative is going to come after you guys. You’re going to be hated by pretty much everyone in the galaxy, if I do say so myself. This isn’t smart. This is beneath you.”

“Beneath me? As if you know the first thing about me,” Kaetus growled. He stalked over to her, Kira’s knife at the ready. Kaetus grabbed at Ryder’s hair with one hand, pulling her to her feet while her scalp burned, and the other hand held the blade to the exposed flesh of her neck. The cool metal stung against her skin even though it had yet to truly break the surface. Her pulse throbbed beneath the knife, and Ryder reflexively winced in anticipation.

Still, Kaeutus hesitated; Ryder could see it in his face. She said softly so only he could hear, “I tried to do my best for the people. To make this our new home for everyone. To lay roots for all. To have a family, even in the face of loss.”

Suddenly, Kaetus released his grip on her and shoved her away, on a collision course with Kira. Ryder made her move. Before the other woman could react to Kaetus’s change of heart, Ryder slipped her cuffed hands over Kira’s head.

“Ryder!” Kaetus shouted. 

Ryder ignored him and the goons who pointed their guns at her. She didn’t have time. She didn’t like bloodshed. But she could not see an alternative. Ryder twisted the woman’s head, struggling to achieve the desired effect with her hands tied together. It felt like minutes, but must have been milliseconds. There was an audible snap, and the woman fell limp. Ryder resisted the urge to throw up and held onto her new shield.

Kaetus appeared in shock, though he had raised his gun. 

“Don’t you dare,” Ryder warned him.

He dared. At nearly point blank range, Kaetus was able to aim away from Kira’s body, striking Ryder in the shoulder. She flinched but quickly reacted, throwing a lance, as difficult as it was with her wrists adjoined and a searing bullet wound. Kaetus, the guards, and Reyes were hit with energy, inflicting damage and rendering them all unconscious, or so it appeared. 

Ryder was drained. Days of minimal rations did not make for a strong foundation for biotic attacks, and the Lance had been strong. However, her stamina returned rapidly, likely the work of SAM tampering with her system.

Kira’s body thudded as bullets hit it, blood misting around Ryder. She regretted focusing on offensive biotics all her life, never bothering to master a barrier. She stooped low to the floor, holding her shield in a better position to protect her against Galora, the last standing and currently emptying a clip at her. Ryder gathered dark energy, but as if sensing she was ready to strike a blow, the asari halted her firing and instead pulled Reyes off the ground by the back of his shirt. His head lolled as Galora held the gun to his temple.

“Cool trick, Ryder. Drop… the body. No funny business, and I’ll let this pathetic excuse of a human live,” Galora threatened, but Ryder noted that her hand shook.

“No,” Ryder said defiantly, curling her lips into a smile, the very picture of confidence, or so she hoped.

The asari fumbled, her face frozen in shock, but an alarm began blaring so loud it pained Ryder’s ears. Everything went dark, and then a red light began flashing. That was all it took for Galora to become distracted, her gaze turned to the light for the briefest of moments.

Ryder struck out with a pull, straining to do so in the position she was in and attempting to narrow her scope and only target the asari. Galora was lifted into the air with a yelp, her gun clattering down before she could use it. Then came a throw, snapping her against the ceiling, detonating a lethal biotic combination. The asari levitated above, lifeless.

_ Sara, Scott, the crew of the Tempest, and members of the Collective are here. They are at the base’s surface and will be descending momentarily. Please take cover until their arrival. _

Ryder fought to catch her breath. Her skull pounded with the first pangs of a fierce headache. She stood and released Kira’s body. Ryder was soaked in blood, either hers or the Outcasts leader’s or a mix of the two. She stumbled over to the guard who had cuffed her, and she was able to remove the cuffs after fiddling with his omni-tool. Ryder’s wrists ached where she had struggled against the restraints during the fight, but the pain was dulled. Her headache and gunshot wound also started to fade from her consciousness, undoubtedly SAM’s handiwork. Ryder stole the guard’s pistol and then leaned over Reyes’s form and scanned him.

_ He’s alive. Unconscious. A concussion. _

Ryder nodded, then lifted him up, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder. Reyes was deadweight, and while Ryder was strong, it wasn’t going to be a picnic moving him anywhere. She considered dropping to the floor and waiting for her rescue. Then the door to the room slid open.

A turian woman held a gun under flickering lights in the hallway. She wore the colors of the Outcasts. Ryder fired before the turian could, three headshots knocking her out. The recoil caused Ryder to scream in agony, her shoulder screaming despite SAM’s best efforts. She tossed the gun to the floor and shifted Reyes in her arms. Ryder needed to get them out of there before others came looking.

Moving as fast as she could, Ryder headed into the hallway, where the sounds of gunshots in the distance reverberated. Reyes’s boots dragged on the floor, slowing them down, but there was nothing she could do. Luckily, the floor they were on seemed abandoned, and as she walked up a series of ramps and came out onto another floor’s landing, they did not encounter anyone.

Ryder wanted to stop and catch her breath; maybe it would alleviate her migraine that was becoming blinding. Nevertheless, she headed for a corridor that led to stairs that could take them closer to the planet’s surface and salvation. As Ryder turned the corner, she almost hit three Outcasts head-on.

Bullets ricocheted off a hastily and sloppily made barrier. Ryder hadn’t created once since training in the Alliance, and it was like speaking a foreign language she had only known a few words of. She almost lost her concentration and dropped her barrier as she drew energy for an offensive attack. Ryder charged, connecting with her opponents and knocking them to the floor. Then she crouched and struck her fist downward, calling forth a nova. 

A biotic explosion detonated around Ryder’s barrier. It burned brighter than any biotic attack Ryder had ever launched. All Ryder could see was blue, until quite suddenly everything was black.

* * *

Liam rushed down the hallways, more reckless than he usually was, and he was usually pretty reckless. More times than not, he’d been the team member sprawled on the ground and awaiting medical attention after throwing himself in the line of fire. But nothing SAM or Scott said was going to slow him down then because he was out to find Ryder.

The Outcasts’ base was riddled with goons armed to the teeth, but they fell easily enough. Liam was ruthless and determined, and the other guys from the  _ Tempest  _ had his back. Or that’s what he told himself as he left them in the dust.

Every gunshot was satisfying. Liam was never one to take joy in the dirty part of his job, but it made him feel like he had some control over this whole situation.

The halls and staircases were quiet, except for the goddamn blaring alarm. Lights flickered overhead, briefly and dimly illuminating empty corridors. Liam’s trigger finger itched, eager to let loose some more steam.

His forward progress came to a halt when he was mystified but a caved-in door. The thick, heavy steel was crumpled like paper. A ring of black soot surrounded the area, including some scorches on the ground that looked like shadows of people. Liam shivered and kept going, only to pause at two bodies piled near the entrance on the other side. As he stepped closer, he recognized their forms.

Liam hurried to Ryder’s side. Her eyes were closed. “Hey, babe. Babe, look at me,” he whispered, touching the pulse point at her neck. Her heart beat weakly, but she didn’t wake up.

“SAM?” Liam spoke into his comm. The fingers that he used to check her pulse were slick. He hadn’t realized it before, but Ryder was coated in blood. It sluiced thickly down her nose and mouth, dripping from her chin. More pooled around her arm onto the ground. “SAM!”

“She is unconscious and requires medical attention. Gunshot wound to the shoulder and severe biotic exhaustion,” SAM droned in response, always cool under pressure.

“Is she going to be okay?” Liam’s voice cracked like he was a panicked, scared boy.

“That is for Dr. T’Perro to assess. Mr. Vidal likely suffered a traumatic head injury.”

Reluctantly, Liam tore his gaze away from his wife to glance at Reyes. He looked beat to hell and was out cold, too. Turning back to Ryder, he contemplated lifting her up and carrying her to the surface, leaving Reyes there for the next person to retrieve. He’d be exposed though, and who knew if any of the Outcasts were still in the lower levels. Liam sighed. His goddamn conscience picked an inconvenient time to kick in.

Liam tore open a pack of medi-gel and applied it to Ryder’s shoulder, and the blood there stopped oozing. He thought about jamming some up her nose, but doubted it would be effective at stopping whatever was truly wrong with her brain and her biotics. Into his comm, he radioed, “Pathfinder, I’ve found Ryder and Vidal. Requiring assistance at my location. Over.”

“SAM told me. I’m on my way,” was Scott’s reply, and the guy appeared at the corner a few seconds later. He must’ve rushed down too, whatever the consequences.

Scott didn’t acknowledge Liam at first, just bent to the floor to look at Ryder. His eyes were glassy. Liam knew Scott loved his sister, even though he could act distant sometimes. It was rare to see him break protocol and display some semblance of affection.

“She’s got -” Liam started, going to relay what SAM had said about her condition.

“I know,” Scott interrupted. He stood abruptly, back into rigid military man mode. “You carry her. I’ve got Vidal.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” He might’ve said that sarcastically in the past to rankle his bro-in-law a bit, but he was sincere then. Any bad blood about the rescue mission to save Ryder was water under the bridge. Liam had his wife back in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Reyes was eager to be out of the hospital. Being in the Initiative's Hyperion on Meridian was bad enough, but to be there for days, some while he was conscious, some while he was not, made him jumpy. He sure as hell didn’t belong there, and Initiative leadership was probably keen to see him locked up, now that his identity as the Charlatan was all over the place.

The doctor was coming to discharge Reyes, and then he’d be on his way back home to Kadara, if he was lucky. Ryder had put in a word that he was to be left alone, but even the mighty Savior of the Galaxy couldn’t always twist Director Tann’s arm. The authorities hadn’t stormed his room and dragged him away yet, but then again, Reyes was tethered to an IV, and his brain wasn’t in the best of shape. He’d had his skull cut open to relieve the pressure from a cerebral hematoma. Ryder’s biotic heroics had inadvertently smashed his head, not that he was complaining about it. Reyes thought it had been lights out for him before her intervention. Worse, he believed he was going to see the light leave her eyes first. Ryder had saved him, even though he had told her to leave him behind. Reyes wanted to be infuriated, but mostly he felt beholden to her. He couldn't see what she saw in him.

The entrance to the hospital ward was protected by a team of security guards, and the Collective had people hidden in plain sight, too. The Outcasts had shared the news about the Charlatan after it was clear that they were going to go down in flames, one last “fuck you” to him as their sendoff. Reyes’s people were keeping watch to see if the Initiative decided to haul him off. So far, the authorities had come to talk about the whole Outcasts ordeal, and Reyes had been willing to spill a little, but any questions about the Charlatan and the Collective, his lawyer would handle. 

“Lucky,” came a hoarse whisper from a bed two down from his. Ryder was propped up, weak and prone to sleeping all the time, but at least she was awake. Her shoulder had been a quick fix, but she’d been in a coma; her brain had fried from what she’d done to save them. Reyes was happy to see her getting better. If she didn’t, the guilt would eat him alive. Still, it had been no fun hearing Kosta and Scott with the doctors. The initial prognosis had been grim.

“You’ll be out of here soon enough,” Reyes replied, throwing on his best smile.

Ryder rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know if I want to go home. I’ll be as coddled there, probably. No biotics for months, if ever.”

He peered at her. “For a reason.”

She huffed. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to be bored and suffocated.”

“Uh huh,” Reyes chuckled. “I think that’s a load of bullshit.”

Ryder worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “Maybe.”

“You have baby’s room to paint. That’s a project for you.”

And she beamed, her demeanor instantly brightening. “Green… or yellow… or is it pink?”

“Dammit, I told you, no spoilers, please.”

Ryder giggled. Actually giggled. He watched her pick at a thread from her blanket. There was no longer a bandage on her hand. The flesh had healed, and some plastic surgery had smoothened out the wound, but there was no recovering what was lost. Reyes missed whatever Ryder had said while he was gazing at her hand. “What?”

“I said what are you going to do now?” Ryder repeated, serious once again. She was worried about him.

“I’ll keep my crown one way or another.”

She frowned. “It’ll be more dangerous than ever. Everyone will be watching you.”

“Well, if you help stop the Nexus from coming after me, I wouldn’t complain,” Reyes joked.

Ryder shook her head. “It’s not just the Nexus. People within your own organization, anyone the Collective has ever crossed-”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

After a pause, she spoke again, “You’re going to have to legitimize your operations. You’re going to be held accountable now, personally.”

“Keema and I got this,” he reassured her. Maybe it wouldn’t work out, but Reyes wasn’t about to tell Ryder that. Contingencies had always been in place. It’s near impossible to hold onto a secret like that forever. But even with planning, Reyes’s head had a huge price tag attached, and it would be difficult to dodge everyone hunting him. ”Don’t you have your own things to worry about? Where’s Kosta?”

Ryder’s face shuttered. “He’s getting some rest. I made him.”

Kosta had been glued to her side in the ward, but he hadn’t spared a glance at Reyes, let alone spoken to him. Not that Reyes minded at all.

Dr. Carlyle made his appearance then and gave Reyes a clean bill of health, or rather, said he wasn’t going to hold him there any longer if he was itching to go. Reyes got dressed quickly after a nurse took his vitals for the last time and bandaged his wrist. He was officially unshackled, but now that he was standing up and ready to leave, he lingered. Something niggled at the back of his mind. 

Reyes looked at Ryder, who was sleepily laying back on her pillows, watching him through half-lidded eyes. It startled him, and he wondered if she thought he was going to take off without saying goodbye. He cleared his throat and stuffed aside his usual bravado. “Thanks for… you know, Ryder. I’m sorry.” 

Ryder smiled up at him. “Maybe I should be thanking you for the attempted gallant self-sacrifice.”

“Anytime, anytime,” Reyes replied smoothly and winked. “I’ll see you around.”

“Catch you later.”

Reyes left and didn’t turn back. He could imagine a world where he said something different or turned on his heel to return to her. He shook those thoughts out of his head. Keema was rapidly messaging him on his omni-tool, and there was so much work to do. His kingdom was calling for him.

* * *

After a nerve-wracking several weeks in the hospital, Ryder had been cleared for the flight home to Eos. Liam was happy to be back home in Prodromos, but Ryder stood still in their bedroom, seemingly frozen. Liam dropped her duffel bag on the bed, assuming she’d unpack or crash right there, but instead she looked like she’d been struck.

“What is it?” Liam asked calmly, not wanting to come across as anxious and add to whatever was going through her mind.

Ryder opened her mouth, but no sound came out, and she shut it. Liam watched her scratch at the skin on the stump of her ring finger, which robbed him of his words, too. Then he was paralyzed, uncertain as to how to coax her open and afraid of what she might be hiding.

“I don’t want to be here,” she finally said.

“Got it,” Liam drew out with a long exhale. It was stupid of him really to think she’d be comfortable with returning right away to the place where she’d been kidnapped. “Let me talk to Bradley, and-“

“No.” Ryder stared straight at him. “I don’t want to live on Eos.”

He hadn’t been expecting that and frowned. Maybe PTSD was turning her off from the planet altogether. Liam wanted to ask why, but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to, and it’s not like he had to live there in order to survive or anything. “So where to then?”

“Meridian, perhaps.”

Back to where they had just come from. The idea didn’t bother Liam. Meridian was where they had truly begun to thrive in the new galaxy, where the tides were turned. As sentimental as he was about Eos, he could be that way about Meridian, too. He imagined their son or daughter running through the grassy hills under a blue sky, as if they were on a better version of Earth. “We should get things in motion.”

Ryder nodded, and Liam asked, “Is it alright if we stay the night? Be honest.”

“I’ll be fine,” she whispered. Liam watched her walk over to the wall where a framed screen flicked through images from their wedding. She touched a picture of them embracing before an altar, zooming in and stopping the endless rotation.

Liam inched his way over to her side and slowly stood shoulder to shoulder with her. He wondered what was thinking about. “Best day of my life.”

He observed her smile that did not quite reach her eyes. She pressed on the screen, and the image began moving again. “I haven’t been happy since I’ve left the _Tempest_. It’s been lonely. Stifling. I felt purposeless. Depressed. Started to have cold feet.”

Liam struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. Her confession got to him, even if he had to admit that he already knew it, but hadn’t realized how bad it was. Liam glazed over it, so excited about the baby and confident she’d feel the same. “I’m sorry. I should have been around. I didn’t…” he drifted off.

Ryder shook her head. “I should’ve talked to you more about it, or the doctor. Not just Reyes.”

Liam slid his hands over her cheeks, holding her face delicately so she focused on him. “I’m glad you spoke with someone. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that you confided in him over me.”

She shuddered beneath him. “I didn’t intend to hurt you.”

“Hey, that’s behind us,” he reassured her, bending down to kiss her on the forehead.

“We flirted, and I didn’t tell him to stop. When I was at the Outcasts’ base, I kissed him.”

Liam’s heart throbbed painfully in his chest. He wasn’t certain why she was admitting this to him. It was probably a near-death thing, right? Or was she going to pull out divorce papers? Ryder gave nothing away. Her gaze was fixed on some spot behind him. “What do you want?”

It took her a minute for her to respond. “I wasn’t sure. But when I was gone, I thought about how I doomed this new life. I thought about how you were doing. I wanted to come back and be a family.”

Relief washed through him. “I was so worried about you. I was going to strangle Scott if he didn’t take me down on H-037c, no joke. Not that you needed us, I guess. What you pulled was some next-level superhero shit.”

Ryder laughed, and it was a welcome sound to Liam’s ears. Any betrayal he felt was diminished by the heartbreak of almost losing her. He was thankful she was even talking and moving after the serious beating her brain took from her overextension of her biotics. They couldn’t forget the past. Healing was going to take work, but it seemed like they were both willing to put in the effort. “Here’s to a fresh start in Meridian.”

“To new beginnings,” Ryder answered and reached for his hand. His palm caressed the beginnings of a bump underneath her shirt. And then he sensed the slightest movement beneath the skin, like a hiccup, the first baby kick he’d ever felt. Their baby seemed to be on board with their game plan.

* * *

“Go soccer teams!” Ryder cheered as she waddled up to the field. Liam was stalking the sidelines and yelling at his players. As the recently appointed community director of Meridian, he was rather invested in the sporting events he oversaw, but he paused when he heard her.

“Football,” Liam deadpanned when she reached him. “Not going to say it again. It’s football. And you know the team names.”

Ryder shrugged and beamed at him. “Go sports!” she called out.

“Hopeless.” His eyes sparkled with humor, but she watched them squint with concern.

Ryder had doubled over with pain, which was hard to do when her belly was the size of a watermelon. Hands on her knees, she breathed in and out rapidly until the moment passed. The traverse from her desk job - remote advisor to the Pathfinder team and second-in-command on Meridian - to the field had not been for nothing. She needed to tell him in person.

“Ryder!” Liam’s voice sounded hoarse. Apparently, she had been tuning out his panicky yelling.

“What?” Ryder panted.

“What was that?!”

“Oh. Our son’s on his way. Contractions three minutes apart,” she replied nonchalantly.

“And why aren’t you at the hospital?!” Liam fumed.

Ryder had to laugh at his outraged expression. “I’m just having a baby. Piece of cake. Meet you there. You can finish up here.”

“I don’t think so.” Liam pulled aside the ref and whispered something in his ear. Next thing Ryder knew, Liam hauled her up into his arms and took off. She whacked at him.

“I weigh as much as a whale! Put me down!”

“Hardly. Not a great look for a crisis specialist to have his wife hobble over a mile for medical attention whilst in active labor.”

“Ah, but you’re retired. I believe it’s not a critical responsibility in your new role.”

“Pretty critical for a husband or father.”

“Huh, you might’ve got me there. Carry me away.”

“As you wish.”

Liam held Ryder as they journeyed to the Hyperion as the sun dipped to crest the horizon. It was good to be home, and Ryder couldn’t wait to introduce her little one to it.


End file.
